You’ve probably all done a beer can chicken at some point…if not, it is a glorious thing to behold. I’ve done a few myself, but found this fantastic recipe on All Recipes…really moist (as usual), but makes a really nice sweet crispy skin. I cook a few up, tear them apart, eat what I want and freeze down for later…they freeze great although the skin doesn’t stay as nice and crisp. I’ve changed it up slightly by adding just a bit of cayenne to add a little heat, but absolutely nothing wrong with the original, here it goes…

Ingredients:

1/4 cup brown sugar (I reduced the sugar a little from the original and replaced with a little heat below)

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 (12 fluid ounce) can beer…I like a Tecate…keeps moist and doesn’t change the flavor up too much

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (this is my slight change as I like to add a bit of heat)

1 whole chicken

Directions:

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, about 375 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except beer in a small bowl. Place the half-full can of beer in the center of a plate.

Wash chicken off and discard any giblets and neck from inside of chicken; drain and pat dry. Fit whole chicken over the can of beer with the legs on the bottom; keep upright. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix into the top cavity of the chicken. Rub the remaining seasoning mix over the entire surface of the chicken.

Place the chicken, on the can, directly on the grill. Close the lid and grill the chicken about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Use a thermometer and get it to about 180 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the grill and discard the beer can. Let it rest about 10 minutes and dig in!